“So what are you going to wear?” I looked at her, wondering if she thought I had suddenly grown a vagina in the past five minutes. “Clothes.”

“So, what are you going to wear?"I looked at her, wondering if she thought I had suddenly grown a vagina in the past five minutes. "Clothes."She sighed. "Men.”

“She picked up the ballpoint pen lying on the table, and played with it for a few seconds, but then she looked at the clock again. It had done its job: in the five minutes since her last look, it had advanced five minutes' worth.”

“She was afraid of these things that made her suddenly wonder who she was, and what she was going to be in the world, and why she was standing at that minute, seeing a light, or listening, or staring up into the sky: alone.”

“Temae looked at him with a raised eyebrow and he realized she was taking in his attire. “Are you really going to meet her dressed like that?”“These are the best clothes I’ve got.”“That is what you wear all the time.”“Like I said.”

“I asked if she wanted kids. She said her clock is ticking. I said, That’s because I set it five minutes ahead when you weren’t looking.”